Subitizing Dinosaur Preschool Math Activity

Does your kid know how to subitize? (I’ll teach you all about it in this dinosaur preschool math activity!)

A white piece of paper has eight black-line dinosaur outlines, each with different amounts of colorful spikes drawn with markers. A red, foam die sits on the paper and colorful markers + one black marker sit next to the paper.

Your kids will LOVE this dinosaur preschool math activity

In the preschool world, there are a handful of themes that a teacher knows will always be guaranteed hits.

Bugs. Pirates. Fall. Community helpers. DINOSAURS.

Dinosaurs just make everything better, and this activity is a tried-and-true hit.

Related: Keep the dinosaur coloring fun going with one of our GIANT dinosaur coloring pages!

A hand draws a magenta spike on a black dinosaur outline for the Dinosaur Preschool Math Activity.

This dinosaur preschool math activity has it all

It has action, creating, counting, writing…and drawing spikes on dinosaurs!

The best part? It’s beyond easy to set up.

You can have this activity ready to rock and roll within minutes of reading this quick overview.

Looking for more dinosaur activities? We love these:

Materials

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Note: sometimes I do this on 12″ x 18″ papers, others on smaller, and sometimes on a white table covered in butcher paper.

Do what feels right for you!

Directions

First, draw the dinosaur bodies on the white paper.

LISTEN, we aren’t trying to get these dinosaurs in the Louvre. 😂 I’ll show you how to draw super basic shapes that look dinosaur-ish.

To you, the dinosaurs might not look like the most dinosaur-y dinosaurs you’ve ever seen in your life to you, BUT TO YOUR KIDS?! Best dinosaurs they’ve ever seen.

Alright, *poof* you now have dinosaur-drawing confidence.

Now, draw your darling dinosaurs.

Next, invite your child to roll the die + to draw spikes

When they roll, invite them to name the number of dots showing and then draw the same number of spikes on any dinosaur of their choosing.

To extend the learning, you can also:

Invite your child to color the spikes in (extra fine motor)
Write the number in the middle of the dinosaur’s body
Roll two dice at a time and add them up
Roll two dice at a time and subtract
Invite your child to draw the spikes in a pattern

A white piece of paper has eight black-line dinosaur outlines, four of which have different amounts of colorful spikes drawn with markers. A red foam die sits next to the paper.

What was that word? Subitizing?

Yes!

I’ll explain it with an example of how you already do it.

If I were to stand in front of you and say, “Tell me how many fingers you see when I hold my hand up” and then I held up 5 fingers, you would instantly say, “5!”

You would do the same thing if I held up all 10 fingers.

That is subitizing.

Subitizing is knowing the quantity of something without counting each item.

If you saw me holding 10 fingers, you’d immediately say “10.” You wouldn’t need to count each finger, going 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, then 10.

A black dinosaur outline has 6 green spikes drawn on its back and the spikes are being colored in with the green marker. On the dinosaur's body is the number 6 written in the same green.

Why do we teach subitizing to kids?

In short, it’s an essential skill for math and life.

In length, subitizing is an immediate way of knowing quantities in the world. We use subitizing when we

See someone hold up their fingers
Identify the number of dots on a die or domino
Quickly estimate the size of a group
Understand the number of items in a particular space

We subitize all day long.

For example, as I type this, out of my peripheral, I know I have three drinks on my desk (coffee, water, and sparkling water).

Accurately knowing quantity without needing to count sequentially is not only a math skill but a vital life skill.

And, by playing dice games, we give kids extra opportunities to practice this skill through something fun and engaging!

Kristian holds a red foam die and a white paper with dinosaur outlines + colorful spikes while smiling at the camera showing the Dinosaur Preschool Math Activity.

FAQ

What age is this recommended for?

It depends on the child! Some of our three-year-old preschoolers would have found this incredibly easy, and some of our five-year-old preschoolers would have found this to be a perfect challenge.

What paper should I do this on?

ANY! The size doesn’t matter (and in fact, it’s fun to this small and large).

What do I do if this is too hard for my kid?

You can either scaffold and do it with them, or wait until it’s developmentally appropriate for their needs.